Ma Kui’s response sent a wave of cheers through all the Chinese people present and the foreigners who understood Chinese.
Those who didn’t understand were left confused, but the people nearby quickly explained.
Soon, everyone learned the good news, and a sense of surviving a disaster washed over them. They cheered excitedly, some even embracing their loved ones and crying.
Ma Lan and Xiao Changkun, overwhelmed with emotion, were also in tears, holding each other tightly, unable to stop sobbing.
Meanwhile, the internet had exploded.
Tavana broadcast the entire scene live without holding back, with at least hundreds of millions worldwide watching in real-time. The Maldives’ top officials were furious and immediately dispatched over half of the nation’s military to Baima Island.
It should be noted that the Maldives’ military consisted of only about 3,000 personnel. After accounting for officers and logistics, the actual combat-ready forces were likely fewer than 2,000.
The Maldives’ navy had deployable vessels with a maximum displacement of just over 100 tons, mostly second-hand equipment from neighbouring countries. Their air force consisted of only two or three helicopters donated by foreign aid, with poor mobility. As a result, they immediately sent dozens of marines to Baima Island to take control of the situation.
At the same time, senior officials personally called Bernard Elno, expressing deep concern about his safety and the situation on Baima Island.
After Bernard Elno informed them that the situation was under control, they told him the military was already on its way.
Then, Ma Kui put on a performance in front of everyone. Holding a submachine gun, he said to Bernard Elno, “Mr. Elno, we’ve received your cryptocurrency. Thank you for your generosity. We’ll be leaving now!”
With that, he gave a signal to his few surviving subordinates, who quickly followed him, guns in hand, towards the main entrance.
Ma Kui scanned the room and addressed all the tourists in the bar, “The Maldives military will arrive in about forty minutes if they’re quick. I don’t know if my men outside are completely dead, so I advise you not to move around carelessly until the Maldives military arrives.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned and led his men out.
As the highest-ranking commander of Blackwater Company executing this terrorist attack, Ma Kui had severely violated Maldives law. If he stayed, the Maldives military would arrest him the moment they arrived.
Thus, Ye Chen’s plan for them was for Ma Kui to publicly betray Blackwater Company and immediately escape with his men on the speedboat they arrived in. Ye Chen would arrange for a Wanlong Palace merchant ship to escort them in international waters.
Given the Maldives navy’s capabilities, none of their vessels could catch up to the speedboat Ma Kui and his men used.
Moreover, Ye Chen wasn’t worried about Ma Kui escaping his control. After ratting out Blackwater Company, Ma Kui had no place left in the world to hide with his abilities. Hamid’s base was, in fact, his only option.
If he dared to flee, he would not only offend Blackwater Company but also Ye Chen, making his life even more impossible.
Ma Kui himself was well aware of this. At a time like this, why bother with anything else? It was better to head to Syria obediently. Working with Hamid, he could help eliminate potential internal traitors, and if he made some military achievements, there might even be a chance to rise in the ranks someday. That was far better than a lifetime on the run.
So, he led his group back to the dock. After sabotaging the other speedboats, they left Baima Island on the last one.
The people in the bar didn’t dare go outside.
They didn’t know the situation outside, only that Ma Kui had warned there might still be terrorists who weren’t completely dead. If they were targeted and shot, they wouldn’t even have a chance to cry.
So, everyone stayed put in the bar, while Tavana continued her live broadcast, denouncing Blackwater Company’s actions.
Blackwater Company’s reputation had hit rock bottom. Many netizens even called for the U.S. to designate it as a terrorist organisation, launching a petition on the White House website.
Half an hour later, as the sound of helicopters grew closer, the Maldives marines finally arrived at Baima Island.
Hearing the helicopters, Tavana immediately went to the window to live-stream with her phone. The Maldives military’s senior officials, watching the real-time broadcast from the capital Malé, saw Tavana pointing her camera at the military helicopters and immediately notified the on-site commander, “Tavana Sweet is live-streaming. Have our soldiers rappel down!”
